The Beginning and The End
by ElrondW
Summary: This story starts after Harry views Snapes memories during the final battle. Just a different look at way to end the battle and life after that for Harry and Ginny.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter One - The End**

After viewing Snape's memory Harry was in shock. He left the headmaster's office in a daze and his feet took him slowly to the entrance of the castle. The people who saw his progression were scared to confront him. Voldemort's challenge to Harry fresh in their minds, everyone was questioning what he would do. Everyone remained silent as he passed. He would not have heard them even if they had tried to talk to him, for he was lost in his own world. He did not even know where he was going.

His friends knew exactly what he would do. He would sacrifice himself to save everyone else. Ron and Hermione were waiting by the entrance doors for Harry to get there. Whispering fiercely between themselves while they waited, trying to decide how to stop Harry from going into the forest.

As Harry approached the doors Ron and Hermione blocked his way. Harry looked up and saw his two friends standing before him and realized for the first time since leaving the headmasters office where he was and what he was going to do. Looking into their eyes Harry started to cry. He knew he had to go and die, he was a horcrux, and Voldemort could not be defeated while any horcruxes remained. He did not want to die, he had never really known love. There had been that brief time with Ginny before Dumbledore died, which he knew could have become love without everything that hung over his life, but he could not give it that time, and now there was no more time.

Ron and Hermione had never seen him weep openly before. He always hid his emotions when others were around. They knew that whatever he had seen in Snape's memories must have been to horrible to even contemplate. As he approached them, he caught his breath and looked them in the eye.

"I am a horcrux" he whispered so only they could hear. "He has to kill me to destroy the horcrux. Kill Nagini and he will be as mortal as anyone else, and he should be weak for a short time when Nagini dies. Take advantage of that opportunity to finish this. Tell everyone I had to do this, there was no other way."

Ron and Hermione's tears began to flow down their faces as well. The only way to end the war was for their best friend to die. Both enveloped Harry in a hug that they knew would be the last they saw of their friend. As Harry regained his composure, he knew he had to go, but he had to know something before he left. He had noticed that Ron and Hermione were holding hands as he told them what had happened.

Looking at them with the beginnings of a smile, he asked "Did you two finally figure it out?" gesturing at their hands. Hermione started to blush an almost Weasley red but Ron looked straight at Harry and said "Yes, we did." Harry started to laugh despite everything else love was blossoming in the most unusual places. "It takes all out war for you two to finally admit it then. Love each other and make each other happy. You deserve it after everything we have been through. I wish I could be at your wedding." At this Ron started blushing as well and could no longer speak. Hermione just stared at him in shock.

As Harry looked around he realized that the reprieve in the fighting that Voldemort had given was almost up and he needed to go if he was going to save everyone. Before he could leave he wanted a Basilisk fang in case he had the opportunity to kill Nagini and make Voldemort mortal when he died. Ron gave him one from the pouch he was carrying, they had taken several from the carcass down in the chamber just in case. Taking the fang and tucking it away, he started to leave, but before he could there was one last thing he needed to say. He took Ron in a hug and whispered in his ear "Tell Ginny I could have loved her."

At this he turned and started walking down the stairs and out across the grounds toward the forest. Ron stared after him in shock. How could he tell Ginny this after he was dead? It would break her heart, but it was Harry's last request. How could he not tell her? Ron and Hermione watched Harry start towards the forest, but there was much planning to do so they headed to the great hall to prepare everyone for what must be done.

While walking across the grounds he could sense people around him. Some were injured, others were tending to the injured and bringing them into the castle. He knew some were dead, he just hoped that everyone he knew survived this day. Most of all he hoped Ginny survived. He found himself thinking about her more and more as he walked on. He knew he could love her if he had let himself, but did he already love her? He was starting to believe he did, though it was too late for him to do anything about it.

Ginny had gone out onto the grounds to see if she could help anyone who was still alive while she had the chance. As she checked the bodies, she was surprised that more were Death Eaters than not. They were fighting well, this gave her hope that they could survive the day and maybe find a way to finish Voldemort another day. If they dealt him enough of a blow, maybe both sides would need time to recover and they could take the ministry back while he tried to rebuild his army.

As these thoughts gave her hope, she felt something. What it was she was not sure, but as she turned she saw a shadow heading down the hill towards Hagrid's hut and the forest beyond. Somehow she felt that it was Harry. He couldn't be going to face Voldemort all alone she thought, but deep down she knew he would to save his friends and her family. Her mind made up, she started to follow him. Her love for him, and yes she had to admit to herself that it was love, would not let her do anything else. If he was going to fight for them, she would stand by his side and fight with him, whether he wanted her to or not.

As she followed behind, she started to question how she knew he was there. They had only seen each other briefly when he first returned to the castle and for a few brief moments during the battle. Before that they had not spoken since he left almost a year ago. Even then things had been tense ever since he had broken up with her to keep her safe. She knew she still considered him her boyfriend since he really did not want to break up with her, but it was hard not seeing him for so long. Now he was walking to face Voldemort all alone and she knew she had to be with him.

But still, how had she known he was there? Thinking about it, she had not seen anything, she was facing the other way. Had she heard something? No, all she could remember having heard was the cries of the injured and the crackling of the fires burning all around the school. No, she just knew he was there, like she knew that the sun would rise in the morning. Like she knew that she loved him.

As they got closer to the forest, she saw Harry stop. At first she wanted to go to him and drag him back to the castle. She knew he wouldn't go, he needed to end this now. If he saw her he would send her back to the castle, so she waited and watched. While she waited in the shadows she saw him pull something out of his pocket and look at it closely. To her amazement she saw people start to appear. She recognized Sirius, and another looked alot like Harry and must have been his father. The woman with him must have been his mother. It looked like they were talking to him. After a short time they disappeared, but his gait seemed stronger as he headed into the forest. She had no idea what they said, but it seemed to have helped him.

As Harry walked into the forest he could feel that he was being followed. That was no surprise to him though. Voldemort must have left a couple of guards to follow him from the edge of the forest and herd him to Voldemort. Thinking about what he needed to do his nerve started to waver. His parents' words in his mind gave him courage and he continued deeper into the forest.

Ahead he saw flames and heard voices. He must have been getting close to Voldemort's encampment. He paused for a moment to gather his thoughts and prepare himself for what was to come. He had to let Voldemort kill him, that was the only way for this to end. He just hoped someone could kill Nagini and then Voldemort so this war could end today. He trusted Ron and Hermione to find a way to make it happen.

It was time. He walked into the clearing where he had come to die. He still felt the presence behind him, but disregarded it. The Death Eaters were not important. They would crumble without their leader. When he was truly dead, they would run. Of this he was sure.

Ginny had followed Harry into the forest and saw him enter the clearing with Voldemort and the Death Eaters. She knew if she revealed herself too early Harry would try to send her back to the castle, so she waited behind a bush at the edge of the clearing. She couldn't hear what Harry was saying over the taunts of the Death Eaters. Voldemort's remaining inner circle was all here. She saw Voldemort wave them back and he confronted Harry.

Suddenly Voldemort turned to look towards her and raised his wand and she was pulled out of her hiding place to stand next to Harry. She saw the look of devastation on Harry's face and thought she had made a mistake. But, she knew Harry needed her here even if he did not know it. He needed her strength if he was going to be able to win this fight. He also needed her love, she had heard him say that Dumbledore thought that love was "the power that Voldemort knows not," and she loved Harry.

Harry realized what he felt since he entered the forest was not Death Eaters, but Ginny. She had followed him, not knowing what he had to do. She had come to help him fight, but he had to die without a fight. Maybe if he got a chance to kill Nagini before Voldemort killed him, Ginny could kill Voldemort while he was incapacitated. If Ginny could kill Voldemort, the Death Eaters would not be able to harm her afterwards. How could he protect her and kill Nagini before Voldemort killed him? He was not sure he could, but he had to try. He sent a severing charm towards Nagini, but Voldemort just blocked it and started to taunt Harry. "Is that the best you can do? How could you survive so long when you are nothing but a weak child?"

Suddenly Harry could tell that Voldemort was going to change tactics and he needed to protect Ginny. Maybe his connection to Voldemort would do some good after all. As he edged closer to Ginny he saw Voldemort's eyes glance at her. Everything seemed to go silent as he saw Voldemort cast a curse at Ginny. Almost in slow motion he saw the green light start towards Ginny. Only one curse looked like that. No shield would help. There was only one thing to do. Harry stepped in front of where Ginny stood and the killing curse struck him in the center of the chest.

He felt nothing.

As his senses returned, he was lying on his back wondering if this is what it felt like to be dead. It was not so bad, at least it did not hurt. He took a deep breath and opened his eyes to find himself in what looked like a large, clean and empty train station. The first thing he saw when he looked around was Dumbledore walking towards him. A wave of anger washed over him as he thought of everything that he was not told. How could Dumbledore have kept all this from him if he knew he had to die? But before he could speak he saw the sadness in his old professor's eyes. Harry knew that Dumbledore had hoped it would not come to this, but deep down he knew it would.

Harry looked around a bit more closely and saw a small, twisted, almost human figure lying in a corner that was writhing in pain. His first instinct was to go help the creature, but he felt Dumbledore's hand on his shoulder turn him away. "That is the piece of Voldemort's soul that he just killed. It lived inside you since that fateful Halloween night all those years ago. You must let it die now, it is why he had to kill you. It was the only way to kill the horcrux that was within you and allow you the chance to live." Harry was in shock at this statement and noticed that the twinkle had returned to Dumbledore's eyes.

"Yes, you can live if you so choose. Voldemort is not dead yet, but he is almost mortal, if you can kill Nagini he will be vulnerable. You have a little time to make your decision, but don't wait too long after that piece of Voldemort dies or you won't have a choice left. To go back and live you must consciously make that choice."

Harry knew he had no choice, he could not leave Ginny alone to face Voldemort. She was strong, and he knew she would fight, but would she be able to kill them both by herself? He doubted she could, but together, he could see a chance. Whatever happened he would be by her side for it. He could not leave her alone, for he loved her.

"I need to go back. I have to help Ginny, she is all alone with Voldemort and his most trusted servants. I also need to help my friends. They have stood by me this entire time, I can't leave them now."

Ginny could not believe Harry had placed himself in front of her as she saw the green light of the killing curse come towards her. Her love fell at her feet. Dead. She felt herself collapse on top of Harry and saw Voldemort falling to the ground as she fell.

As she lay on Harry, she could feel that he was not dead. He was not alive, but he was not dead. She did not know how she knew, but she felt it. If he was not dead, then there was hope. If she was right, she had to give him time to return to her. While the Death Eaters were focused on helping Voldemort back to his feet, she grabbed the basilisk fang from Harry's hand. A fang from the same creature had destroyed Tom Riddle's diary in her first year, maybe this one could destroy Voldemort.

She also knew that she had to convince Voldemort that Harry was dead to get him to let his guard down. As she took the fang, she saw Harry start to open his eyes. As she saw the green of his eyes alight in the gloom of the forest, her heart swelled with the possibility that they might be able to survive this fight and have a life together.

She could feel Voldemort come up behind her, she started to wail that Harry was dead. She hoped Voldemort could become overconfident and come closer so she could stab him with the fang and end Voldemort's reign of terror forever.

Voldemort and Nagini came closer as Harry surreptitiously took the Basilisk fang back from Ginny while he kept everything else still. Ginny's body was between Voldemort and Harry's actions so he had no idea that Harry was still alive. Why would he think Harry could survive the killing curse again. Ginny did not know that Nagini needed to die first. This would take timing from him and nerve from Ginny, but he knew she was up to it.

Nagini started to climb over Ginny to see into Harry's dead eyes and show them to his master. He waited as long as possible, so he could be sure to kill Nagini with one strike, Ginny just needed to remain still for a few more seconds. He gently squeezed her side to give her the encouragement to keep up her performance, and to let her know he was ready to act.

As Nagini's head slid over Ginny's shoulder Harry brought the fang up through the underside of the snakes head and up into its brain. As the snake shuddered and died, the now familiar black mist poured out of the wound. Harry braced for the pain in his scar he had felt every time a horcrux had been destroyed, but it did not come. Realizing he was free of Voldemort now, he smiled up at Ginny.

Looking over, he saw Voldemort on the ground. He was surrounded by his Death Eaters who remained. There were fewer left than one would have thought, he must have sent most of them to fight at the castle and these are all that had returned. He and Ginny climbed to their feet to the shock of the few Death Eaters who were looking that way. Taking advantage of the moment, Harry pulled Ginny into a hug and whispered in her ear "I love you, Ginny." He saw her eyes widen in shock as a smile begins to erupt across her face. Even in this desperate place her smile warmed his heart.

As Voldemort is helped to his feet, several Death Eaters start to point their wands at Harry and Ginny. As Harry wondered how to duel all the Death Eaters he heard Voldemort call them off.

"No, he is mine. I will kill him."

Harry held Ginny's hand tight in his as he faced Voldemort with his wand in his hand and could feel her love for him flowing through their clasped hands. A warmth and power like he had never felt before flowed into him. He turned his head to look at Ginny in wonder, and as he turned back to Voldemort his heart skipped a beat as he heard "Avada Kedavra" and the green light was once more flying through the air towards them.

When the curse was half across the distance between them, a golden light surrounded Harry and Ginny. The curse struck the light around Harry and Ginny and ricocheted off. It flew back across the space towards Voldemort. He raised a shield to protect himself, but the curse flew through his shield, just as it had everyone else who tried to stop it. As it struck Voldemort in the chest he fell to the ground. There was no cry of pain, there was no movement, just a pile of robes with a dead body lying on the ground. Voldemort's death was just like so many other victims of the killing curse. It was quick, quiet and final. Just as Voldemort's death started to register on his followers, they all grabbed their arms which held his mark and  
collapsed onto the ground unconscious.

The shock of the curse rebounding and striking Voldemort was almost too much for Harry and Ginny as they fell to their knees and hugged each other in relief. As they looked around at the Death Eaters, they saw them breathing, but they were all laid still on the ground. They realized that Voldemort's death had somehow incapacitated them, but not knowing how long they would stay unconscious, Harry needed to call help to bind and prepare the Death Eaters for transport to Azkaban.

Doing the first thing that came to mind, he raised his wand in the air and let out a column of red sparks, as he had been instructed to do back in his fourth year if he needed to be rescued from the maze. He knew Professor McGonagall would remember the signal and bring others to help. After that he just collapsed into Ginny's arms and they held each other until others came.

When reinforcements reached the clearing, Harry and Ginny stood and started to walk back to the castle. They had too many questions to ask at the moment, so they smiled at the headmistress and Harry's look silently let her know that they would talk later back at the castle. Harry and Ginny walked out of the forest holding hands, still surrounded by the soft golden glow. Though they did not notice it, everyone who saw them did.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two - The Beginning**

As Harry and Ginny walked out of the forest they saw many of the people who had been fighting to defend the castle out on the grounds preparing the last Death Eaters to be transported to Azkaban where they would await trial. The Death Eaters were being tied up and moved to one area so they could be sent via portkey to the prison. Every one who noticed Harry and Ginny had a shocked look on their face which Harry assumed was because he was still alive. None of the people they were looking for were out on the grounds so they continued on to the castle.

There was extensive damage to the castle near the doors where the fighting had been the fiercest, but the towers looked to have sustained only minor damage. The area around the doors had borne the brunt of the onslaught. One of the large double doors hung by a single twisted hinge, while the other lay broken on the ground several feet away. Harry was surprised that he had not noticed the doors on his way out. Had it really been less than an hour since he was walking to his death? So much had changed in such a short amount of time. The world was no longer threatened by a self-styled dark lord, his followers were on their way to prison, he was alive and walking with the woman he loved. It was amazing that such a short amount of time could change so much for so many people.

As they stepped through the opening and into the castle Harry was surprised to see very few people near the entry to the castle. A few passed through and looked to be heading towards the Great Hall. Harry saw a couple people heading up the stairs into the castle.

As they turned to head towards the great hall they saw Ron and Hermione standing in an alcove just outside the entrance to the great hall. They were hugging each other and had a downcast look about them. Harry knew they were thinking about those who had been lost today. As he thought about it, he was probably the one most on their minds. The last they had seen of him, was as he walked down to the forest to let Voldemort kill him. Ron and Hermione did not look up as they got closer. Finally they were close enough and Ginny tapped her brother on the shoulder. As Ron looked up there were tears streaming down his face.

The shock of seeing Harry alive caused Ron to collapse in Hermione's arms. She tried to hold him up, but he was too heavy for her so she guided him as gently as she could to the floor. As she laid Ron's head on the floor she noticed the two pairs of feet behind her and looked up to see Harry and Ginny standing there. Her face was wet with her own tears, but a smile lit up her face. "How? What? How?" Hermione started to gasp out.

Harry smiled at Hermione's rapid fire questions. "I will tell you everything once we wake Ron up so I don't have to just start over." Hermione shook her head as she stood and enveloped both of them in a hug that rivaled one of Mrs. Weasley's. "We thought you were dead!" Hermione cried as she pulled her wand and pointed it at Ron. "_Rennervate_" and Ron woke with a start, looked at Harry and smiled. As Ron got back to his feet, a questioning look crossed his face. "I thought you had to let Voldemort kill you?" he asked Harry.

"Let's find someplace a little more private and I'll tell you." Harry said as he led them into an empty classroom. As Harry and Ginny led the way, Ron noticed their hands still clasped together and smiled. He realized that he would not have to break his  
sister's heart. That alone was enough for him to approve of them getting back together, the smiles on their faces was just an added bonus as far as he was concerned.

Once in the classroom, Harry started to tell them everything that happened after he left the castle. He and Ginny had not had a chance to talk yet, so she was quite surprised to learn that he had to let Voldemort kill him. When Harry told them that he chose to come back because he could not leave Ginny alone she broke down in tears and buried her face in his shoulder. Once he calmed Ginny down and told her he loved her he continued with the rest of his tale.

When he was finished Hermione looked at both of them asking "What's up with the glow?"

Harry and Ginny asked "What glow?" simultaneously. After a short discussion, it was decided that they could not see the glow and they would need to talk to the headmistress and Madam Pomphrey to try to figure it out.

Ron's only comment on the entire affair was "Wicked!"

As they walked out of the classroom Harry decided to embarrass Ron and Hermione a bit before they found the rest of the Weasleys. "I guess I will be able to make the wedding after all." Both Ron and Hermione turned to stare at Harry as Ginny asked "What wedding?" Harry leaned over and whispered into her ear for a few seconds too quietly for the others to hear. Ginny started smiling looked at Ron and Hermione saying "So, you two finally figured it out and started snogging. Make sure I get an invitation." If it was possible Ron and Hermione turned even redder.

In a show of defiance Ron and Hermione linked hands and led Harry and Ginny into the great hall. A large part of the room had been turned into a hospital for the injured. Throughout the room you could see many groups huddled around the beds that had been brought in to care for the injured. Madam Pomphrey had been joined by several healers from St. Mungo's. Harry could see a group with red hair gathered around a bed on the far side of the room. Ginny leaned into Harry and whispered "Fred's leg got hurt badly when a wall collapsed on it. They are not sure if he will lose the leg." Harry felt sorry for Fred, but was glad that he was still alive. Harry knew many people had died, and had been very worried that one or more of the Weasleys would have been killed.

As they worked their way through the room, most everyone turned to stare at the couple. Harry was unsure if they were staring because of the glow or because he had killed Voldemort. He was sure word had spread quickly that Voldemort was dead. When they approached the Weasleys it was George who noticed them first. "Fred, our esteemed investor has returned and brought our little sister with him." Molly hearing this spun to face them as she had been frantic ever since Ginny left the great hall to help out on the grounds and did not return. She enveloped the pair in one of her suffocating hugs before she vented her worry.

"Where have you been? I have been worried sick. You should not have gone out by yourself." Ginny just looked at her mother and was trying to decide how to calm her down without actually lying to her. If she told her mother that she had followed Harry to fight Voldemort, her mother might never let her out of the house again. All she could come up with was "I had to help. People were dying out there." Molly seemed to accept this for now and pulled Ginny over to see Fred.

As soon as Ginny's hand was pulled out of Harry's both of them started screaming and collapsed to the floor. They were writhing in pain as they continued to scream. Though they had grown used to the screams of the injured many in the hall turned to see what had happened, but all they could see was a golden dome with sparks travelling its surface in the area where the Weasleys were congregated. As the Weasley family looked on in shock Ginny and Harry crawled back to each other. As soon as they clasped hands again the pain stopped and the sparks disappeared from the dome that surrounded them.

Their breath still coming in great gulps, Harry and Ginny looked into each others eyes and could see the confusion in the other face. "What was that?" they gasped at the same time. They continued to move closer until they were hugging each other on the floor with the entire Weasley family surrounding them. As they climbed to their feet, they noticed Molly looking at them in shock. "Are you OK?" she asked even as her face started to show her displeasure over what she had just witnessed. Her baby girl had her youngest son's best friend just collapsed in pain for no apparent reason. "Why are you glowing, what happened out there?" she continued before they had a chance to answer her first question.

Harry was glad that Hermione was there as she started to answer for them. "They are not sure what is happening and hope to get some answers soon. They were going to talk to you and Professor McGonagall to try and find out. If anyone has any ideas, they would be appreciated once we are someplace more private." She started out looking at Molly and Arthur as she was saying this, but realized that Bill might know more than the others because of his line of work. As her gaze moved to Bill she saw him give a slight nod of understanding. Molly still looked quite unhappy, but Arthur was starting to get her attention to keep her from pushing this right now. He knew if Molly got started she would badger Harry and Ginny mercilessly until she had answers and it did not sound like they had answers to give yet. "I am sure that they will tell us what they know when they know something." Molly gave him a stare that said he might not be happy when they got home but she did stop questioning them for now.

Looking around at the rest of the family Harry saw a variety of reactions on their faces. Ron looked a little confused about what had just happened, but then, so was Harry. He knew Ron was OK with them being together, so there was nothing to worry about there. Fred and George were smiling like they had just won a prize. That might be a bit worrisome later, but at least they seemed to be happy for them. Percy looked like he disapproved of them, but he seemed to disapprove of everything anyway. Charlie looked thoughtful and he could not tell what he was thinking. He would have to keep an eye out there. Bill was with Fleur and did not seem upset at them being together. He looked like he was already trying to figure out what had just happened. If he could get Bill and Hermione working together they might just figure out what was going on.

Harry looked back into Ginny's eyes and could see the love in her eyes. There also seemed to be a look of confusion there. With everything that was happening, that was not too surprising. Harry tried to let her know that they would figure this out without saying anything. Ginny seemed to get what Harry was trying to tell her since she turned to her family. "We will tell you everything that happened when we get back to the Burrow. Harry and I need to figure out what is happening now first. Does anyone have any ideas?" As she said the last part she was looking straight at Bill.

Bill shook his head slowly, but Ginny knew he was the best chance from her family to help them figure out what was happening. Ron would be supportive now that he and Hermione were together. He may be overprotective but she would keep him from being too overbearing. Percy would continue to disapprove but would not say anything. The twins would prank them and tease them, but she knew how to handle them. Also they would not really harm their business partner. Charlie would try to be the big brother and have a talk with Harry. That should not be a problem as Harry could handle himself. The only problem would be if they still could not separate and she had to be there for the talk. That could get pretty embarrassing for everyone involved.

Ginny started to realize that this was going to start to cause problems rather soon. She and Harry were both very dirty from their battle in the forest. Getting cleaned up could be interesting. Spells could be used to remove the dirt and repair their clothes, but she would not feel truly clean until she had bathed. Would she have to bathe with Harry?

Harry felt himself start to blush. He was embarrassed, but he had no idea why. He could feel it without any context for the emotion. As he looked at Ginny, she was blushing as well. The questions started to race around his mind. What was going on? Was everything that was happening, the pain, the emotions, and the glow connected? They had to be. Nothing else made sense. He and Ginny needed to get away and talk soon. People were going to start asking questions about Voldemort soon. He knew he would have to tell them, but he wanted to start with Professor McGonagall, the Weasleys and Remus. The others would have to wait.

Harry had overheard Madam Pomphrey saying that Fred could lose his leg. The bone had been crushed to the point that it could not be fused back together with magic. There was nothing left to heal. Having a wonderful idea, he signaled for Madam Pomphrey to come over. He kept glancing over at Fred as he told her his idea. Fred was looking nervously over at them wondering what was going on. He did not think Harry would pull a prank on him now, and he definitely would not hurt him, but he did not like the slightly mischievous look in Harry's eyes or the devilish smile on his sister's face. Harry must have cancelled a silencing spell, as he suddenly heard Madam Pomphrey telling Harry it was his idea, he should tell Fred.

Harry walked back over to Fred's bed with a rather dour look on his face. When he got there he looked at Fred's leg and shook his head. "Fred, are you ready for the worst night of your life?" he asked as Madam Pomphrey summoned one of the house elves. Fred stuttered as he answered "w-w-w-worst night?"

"Yes Fred, more pain than you can imagine."

Ginny was grinning at him though, so he thought Harry was joking with him a bit. "What are you going to do to me?"

Harry started to laugh and George began to look nervous. Harry finally looked up at Fred and couldn't hold in the smile any longer. He felt a tinge of disappointment but did not know where it was coming from. Looking Fred in the eyes he asked "I am going to try to save your leg. Do you remember my second year? Lockhart will finally be good for something."

Fred and George finally caught on to the plan, but the rest of the family had no idea what had happened five years earlier. George explained to the Weasleys while Harry pulled out his wand. Fred looked at Harry a little nervously "You're going to cast the spell?" he asked.

"I guess so, Lockhart won't remember what he did. He is still in St. Mungo's long term care ward. I could go get him if you want." Fred shook his head and looked at George "Take care of me tonight, and don't let any of the girls see me crying. I don't want my image ruined." The rest of the family knew at that point that Fred would be OK, he had starting to joke again.

Harry cast the spell he remembered from the quidditch pitch that night. Madam Pomphrey had told him the correct pronunciation and wand movement just in case his memory was not clear enough. The next thing Fred knew the pain in his leg was almost gone. Looking down, nothing looked different at first. Slowly he saw his leg start to flatten out as what support the shattered bones were giving his leg disappeared.

Madam Pomphrey was walking back over to the bed with the dreaded bottle of Skelegrow potion. Fred had seen first hand how much pain Harry was in while regrowing the bones in his arm. He was not looking forward to this night, but he could keep his leg. That thought was enough to put a smile on his face. Turning to George he said "I guess you'll be the only one missing parts in this family."

Harry looked at Ginny who nodded her head in agreement with Harry's silent question. They needed some time alone to figure out what was happening. Turning to her mother Ginny said "Harry and I need to take a walk and talk about what is happening. Keep an eye on Fred, he is going to need it tonight. Harry and I will be back later and we can all go back to the Burrow.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three – A Life Revealed**

As Harry and Ginny were leaving the Great Hall they walked past the other injured defenders who were lying on beds along one side of the room. They recognized many of the injured people, some from school, some from Hogsmeade, and others from the Order. The injured did not bother Harry as much as he thought they would. He figured if they were injured, they were not dead and would get better. He was disturbed at first to see Remus and Tonks among the injured, but since they were in adjacent beds and were awake and talking to each other, he decided they would be OK. Harry steered Ginny over to Remus and Tonks' beds on their way out.

"Hi Remus, Tonks. What happened?" Harry said as they approached the couple.

Remus looked a little embarrassed as he started to answer. "Nymph and I looked at each other instead of paying attention for a moment after we disabled a couple of Death Eaters. A troll hit us with his club. We were unconscious in a corner for the remainder of the battle. We were brought in here with the rest of the injured who were being brought in from the battlefield. Just a few cracked bones and maybe a concussion, we should be well by tomorrow. The healers are taking good care of us. We will be home to Teddy and Andromeda soon."

Ginny could feel the relief coming from Harry as he talked to his parents' friend. "I was worried about you two out there fighting with a baby at home. I could not bear the thought that he could be left alone. Get home to him and I will come over when I can to see him."

Tonks looked at Harry and Ginny's hands clasped together and gave Harry a knowing look. "You two are back together then? Or did you never really break up?"

"We are together," they both said. Ginny continued, "We are on our way to discuss everything else right now." A slight blush colored her cheeks as she answered Tonks and Harry could feel her slight discomfort at talking about their relationship before they had a chance to discuss it themselves. Harry knew she wanted to get out of there and talk so he started to get them away. "We need to go now, we will see you at Andromeda's when we can get there."

"Bye then," Remus and Tonks both answered.

Harry tried to lead Ginny out of the Great Hall in the most direct way possible. As they got to the door, Professor McGonagall intercepted their path. "Where are you two off to now?" she asked as she approached.

"We are heading to the Room of Requirement to talk about the strange things that are happening to us. You were one of the people we thought might be able to help us. Should we find you after we talk about everything?" Harry asked.

"I would be glad to help in any way I can. I assume this glow around you is one of the strange things you mentioned?" Professor McGonagall asked.

"Yes, it is," they both responded. Harry continued, "We have no idea what it means. If you do or if you find out, please let us know. Even if you think we won't like it, we need to know what is happening to us." Harry lifted up their hands as he continued, "The one time we let go of each other since we killed Voldemort, the pain was almost as bad as the cruciatus curse."

"I don't have any idea what is happening, but I will look into it. I have a friend in the Department of Mysteries who may know something," their professor replied.

Harry responded, "Just leave out our identities if you are asking anyone." Thinking for a second Ginny added, "Madam Pomfrey already saw us, so you can discuss this with her. Please ask her not to say anything to identify us to anyone else."

As a lull seemed to form in the conversation, the couple were looking to continue on their way. Ginny told the professor "We need to discuss this alone. You are welcome to join the family at The Burrow when we explain everything that happened. I will have my parents contact you when we are ready to talk about everything." Professor McGonagall looked disappointed, but was willing to wait as she could tell she would get nothing else from them at this point.

"I will see you at The Burrow then."

Harry and Ginny continued on their way to the seventh floor hallway where the room of requirement was hidden. "I will prepare the room," Ginny said. They both had to pace, as they could not let go of each other, but Ginny thought about what she wanted, while Harry kept his mind blank.

Harry was not surprised to see what looked like a smaller version of the Gryffindor common room. A comfortable couch in front of a warm fireplace dominated the room. There were two doors off the main room where the stairs to the dormitories would have been. When Harry looked at them questioningly Ginny responded "A bedroom and a bathroom," as she indicated the two doors in turn. "We both need to get cleaned up and we both need sleep." Harry slowly nodded as he thought about the problems with getting cleaned up. His face flushed as he looked at the bathroom door. A hot shower or bath would feel great, but how could they manage that.

Ginny seeing and feeling his embarrassment knew what he was thinking. She could feel herself turning red, but fought against it. "If this connection continues, we will see each other naked eventually anyway. It might as well be when my family is not around to try to embarrass us even more," Ginny said trying to soothe him.

She felt his embarrassment grow stronger, but he nodded his head and looked her in the eye. "If you are sure about this, I will try not to look."

"This is all part of what we need to talk about. But we need to get clean before we settle in to talk. Let's go into the bathroom and wash off the grime from this day," Ginny said as she led Harry towards the door. Once in the bathroom they found a large sunken tub that would easily fit both of them comfortably. It was already filled with a hot bath with a thick layer of bubbles on top. This would provide a level of modesty once they got into the tub. The problem would be getting into the tub while maintaining that same level of modesty.

Harry asked "How do you want to do this? Should I close my eyes while you undress and climb in and touch my foot while I undress or should we just get undressed and get in?" Ginny looked pensive as she responded, "Why don't you close your eyes for now. If this continues we will have to get over it and learn to not be embarrassed about seeing each other."

Harry removed his shoes and socks and stood next to the tub before he closed his eyes. As Harry stood quietly Ginny undressed and climbed into the water. As she climbed in she moved her hand to Harry's foot. Once she was in the water she let Harry know that he could get undressed and into the tub. She closed her eyes and waited while Harry stripped and climbed in. Once he was seated she opened her eyes and they both blushed as they sat naked in the water next to each other.

After a while they started to feel comfortable enough to start to clean themselves under the layer of bubbles that covered the surface of the water. They intertwined their feet to leave their hands free to clean. Once they felt they had gotten their bodies as clean as they could, Harry started to wash his hair and then ducked it under the water to rinse out the shampoo. As he resurfaced he started to feel apprehensive. As he was wondering where this was coming from, he noticed an odd look on Ginny's face.

So quietly that Harry almost could not here her Ginny asked, "Do you think you might be able to wash my hair for me?"

It was obvious that this was the source of the apprehension he was feeling, but how was he feeling it? As he was considering this he noticed that Ginny was starting to look sad. Realizing that she thought he did not want to help her with her hair he quickly moved to reassure her. He reached out and took her hand as he said, "Of course I will wash your hair if you would like me to." The relief that he felt confused him but felt wonderful at the same time.

Ginny moved so she was in front of him with her back to him and ducked her head back into the water as he got the bottle of shampoo the room had supplied for her. "How much do I need to use? You have so much more hair than I do, I have no clue how much I need."

Ginny laughed and turned her head as Harry started to pour the shampoo into his hand. When she thought he had enough she gave him a nod then turned back so he could lather her hair.

Harry found that he liked washing her hair and the contact with her felt wonderful. Ginny meanwhile luxuriated in the sensations of having someone else wash her hair, something that had not happened since she was a small child.

Harry made sure to lather every bit of her long red hair and to scrub her scalp to make sure everything was clean before he had her lean back and rinse the shampoo out of her hair. As he finished he noticed one of the things he loved about magic, the bath water had not cooled at all, it may have even warmed a bit as their bodies got used to the temperature of the hot water. They could stay in the bath and relax if they wanted to and not worry about the water getting cold. He would love to stay in the bath and relax with Ginny, but tonight there was too much to talk about.

Looking around they saw a pile of two large fluffy bath towels and pajamas for both of them. Ginny looked at the towels and then at Harry. Harry said, "I can close my eyes so you can get out and wrap yourself in a towel before I get out."

"No, let's just get out and dry off and get in the pajamas so we can go talk." The look of surprise on Harry's face did not entirely match the feelings she felt must be coming from him. There was a mixture that while it included surprise there was also curiosity and desire mixed in. Ginny took his hand and walked out of the tub with him. She felt Harry staring at her as her body emerged from the water. She was embarrassed, but determined at the same time. She loved Harry and knew he loved her. While they had to stay in contact it would make it so much easier if they did not have to close their eyes all the time, also she liked the feelings of desire she was feeling from Harry as he followed her out of the water.

"You are so beautiful," she heard quietly from behind her and she smiled. She picked up the two towels and handed one to Harry as they kept a foot touching so they could dry off. Once they were both dry, they put on the pajamas that were waiting for them and moved over to the couch to begin to talk about everything that had happened.

"Where should we start, with today or back at the beginning?" Harry asked.

"Why don't we discuss today, and what is happening now. Later we can go back to everything that happened before," Ginny replied. "What are you feeling about what is happening with us? Are you happy, scared, or do you just want to run away?" Ginny thought she knew the answer to this, but was nervous just asking the question.

"I am happy, scared and I would never run away from you. I love you." The smile that erupted from Ginny's face was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. Her eyes locked with his as she said, "I love you to Harry. That makes everything else so much easier to go through. Just knowing that we love each other and will be together makes everything else less scary." Ginny hugged him and gave him a lingering kiss that lasted several minutes before pulling back to continue to discuss what was happening.

They maneuvered so their feet were together and they were facing each other from opposite ends of the couch so they would not get carried away again and could continue their conversation. "So, are you feeling strange emotions?" Harry asked.

"Yes, though they seem to match what I see in you as I feel them," Ginny responded. "I guess you are too. Are we feeling each others emotions? That's what it seems like to me."

Harry looked thoughtful as he started to speak and stopped several times. Nothing came out as he tried to put his thoughts into words. Finally he said, "We can feel each other's emotions. We are surrounded by a golden glow. We can't stop touching or we hurt. We love each other. You said you could feel me as I walked to the forest, even though you could not see me. Am I missing anything else that is happening?"

"No, I don't think so," said Ginny, "Do you think this is all connected?" she asked.

"I think it would have to be. Who do you think would be able to help us figure out what is happening?" Harry replied. "I can think of a few, Hermione might be able to find something out, Professor McGonagall or Madam Pomphrey might know something, and your brother Bill may have seen or heard something in his years as a curse breaker that could help us."

"I don't know. I don't think my parents would know what is happening to us, but I think we should let them know. They can see the glow and will wonder about everything else as I don't think we will be able to hide it all."

As they continued to talk it got quite late and without realizing it they fell asleep. Anyone who saw them would think they had passed out on the couch. They however had no idea that they had fallen asleep and were continuing their conversation. Through the night, as their bodies slept, Harry told Ginny everything Dumbledore had told him and what he, Ron and Hermione had done the year before. He told her about Snape's memories. He told her everything he had thought and felt as he walked to confront Voldemort. Meanwhile she told him everything that had happened the year before at Hogwarts. How she and Neville had run the DA in his absence, about hiding in this very room to avoid the Death Eaters running the school. Harry told her about his life with the Dursleys, everything back to his earliest memories.

As the sun rose, they woke up at the same time. Somehow during the night they had rearranged themselves so that they were spooned together on the couch which had grown wider during the night. Harry's arms were wrapped around Ginny from behind and both were very comfortable. They realized that they had been asleep for almost their entire conversation. They felt rested and awake, which was a good thing because they both knew this would be a very long day. The room had supplied a change of clothes and clean robes for them to wear. They got dressed without the embarrassment of the day before. They also realized that they had gotten better at doing things without breaking contact, though there was one more challenge in that department. They both needed to use the loo. They soon realized that the judicious use of a silencing charm helped to ease the situation. When they were ready, they made there way back to the Great Hall to find Ginny's family still sitting with Fred.


End file.
